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Engineers note that in the future, such an interface could be used not only in games, but also in firefighting simulators, virtual tourism, and for transmitting thermal sensations from touch when people are at a distance.
The developers recreated a Finnish sauna in VR, complete with wooden trim, a stove, and a bucket of water. The user holds a real wooden ladle with a tracker: scooping up virtual water and splashing it on the stones triggers steam and sound in the simulator, and the elements in the sleeves begin to heat up sequentially to 45 degrees Celsius. The delay between the activation of the modules creates the sensation of a hot wave of steam coursing through the user’s hands.
The simulator also features a contrast shower. Tipping a bucket of water over yourself cools the elements to 25 degrees Celsius, and built-in vibration motors create an additional sensation of the water flow. According to the creators, the combination of thermal and mechanical effects makes the illusion more realistic.
Finnish engineers from Aalto University have developed an interface that allows users to virtually experience a sauna. The device consists of VR goggles and a jacket with Peltier thermoelectric elements integrated into the sleeves.
